Can-washing apparatus



1929. s. K. JENSEN CAN WASHING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 15. 1927 INVENTCR ATTOR EY Patented Oct. 8, 1929 PATENT OFFICE sonmr x. mnsmr, or wrcmra, Kansas CAN-WASHING APPARATUS Application filed August 15, 1927. Serial ii'o. 218,075.

a nozzle that will cause the water to circulate peripherally on the inside of the can.

A further object of my invention is to provide a nozzle with water exits as distributing means for difl'erent actions of the water when contacting the inside of the can.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a nozzle rotatably mounted and having means for actuating the same.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a nozzle having a compression chamber that may be attached to any standard machine operating means for can washers, the

said chamber functioning as supporting means for the nozzle.

'Referring to the drawings:

1 is a vertical sectlon through the valve mechanism, the can and a fragmentary portion of the tank, also the circulating means and the motor. I

- Fig. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the nozzle.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of Fig. 2, showing a rtion of the stem.

ig. 4 is a cross section taken on line 44 in Fig. 3. v

Fig. 5 is a cross section taken on line 55 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a side view of the stem partly in section for convenience of illustration.

Fig. 7 is a view of the apertured'end of the stem, the concave nozzle being removed.

In the following description, like characters will apply to like parts in the diiferentviews.

The mechanism herein disclosed consists of 40 a com ression chamber 1, having an aperture threa edly engaging with an aperture in the pipe 2 as at E, the said pipe being the outlet from acent-rifugal pump 3 ascircul ating means for the washing fluid contained in the tank 4,

the said fluid returning from the can as indicated by the arrows ositioned in the tank; 1t being understood t at the said tank is of considerable length so that a plurality of nozzles may be spaced longitudinally therein. I The said tank may have partitions so that the compartments formed thereby will contain different kinds of washin and rinsing fluids, and the mechanism herein disclosed is adaptable and placed in each of the compartments.

The pipe 5 is connected at the bottom of the tank compartments extending to and connecting with the base of the circulating pump, as shown at F in Fig. 1.

While the drawings show a motor 6 directly connected to a circulating pump, an arrangement may be made whereby one motor will function as the power actuating means for a plurality of washing and circulating means, as would be the case ordinarily, but for convenience of illustration to explain the principle of my invention I have assembled the parts including the motor as a single unit; therefore I do not confine the invention to such an arrangement alone.

From the motor 6 is shown a shaft 7 extending and connecting to the said centrifugal pump circulating means 3, and from thence to a beveled ear 8, the speed of said gear being regulaterf through the medium of a speed reducing gear encased as shown at 9.

The speed, however, may be reduced by varying the size of the bevel gears; that is to say, the gear 8 may be much smaller than the gear 10, as it will now be understood that the rotations of the nozzle 11 will be very slow.

Through the medium of gear 10 andstem 12, the said nozzle is made to rotate in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 4. The said stem axially extends through the said compression chamber 1 having its upper bearing near the top end of the compression chamber as at G, and the opposite end extends through said chamber engaging in a bearing 13. Note that a stufling box 14 is arranged for the stem as a waterproof means to prevent such as milk cans, may be treated with the leakage from the tank.- same elficienc The stem 12 is hollow, having the lower end closed by a plug 15, the said plug func-- tioning as a closing-and reinforcing means at the point of engagement for the gear 10;

spaced longitudinally along the stem are apertures 16 functioning as inlets for the washing fluid for the purpose hereinafter described. 7

Positioned near the upper end of the compression chamber is a spider 17 functioning as a bearing inwhich the stem rotates as formerly stated, the spider :being so arranged that the the fluid will pass through the openin s H as shown in Fig. 5.

he nozzle 11 is a concave member rlgidly attached to the stem, rotatable therewith, and being spaced a short distance from the upper end of the compression chamber, constitutes means to dispense the fluid radially contacting the lower end of the can wall peripherally as shown at A-A in Fig. 1. A plurality of slots 18 are positioned in the wall of the nozzle tangentially extending therethrough, as shown in Fig. 4, and being positioned so that I the fluid being forced ra idly therethrough will contact the side wa ls of the can tangentially, as shown by the arrows and dotted lines B in Fig. 4, and having a longitudinal expanse as shown at B in Fig. .1; the nozzle rotating as indicated by the arrow 1n Fig. 4 is means to apply the force of the water continuously around the wall. of the can. 4

The bottom of the can is washed by th water passing through the apertures 19fialternately positioned to the slots in the nozzle, which range to the corner as shown at C; and a streamof fluid is thrown axially to the bottom of the can through an aperture 20 connecting with the stem 15, the last said stream supplied by the fluid passing through the hollow of the stem, which is supplied by the compressed fluid flowing through apertures 16 as heretofore described. All other streams are direct .from the compression chamber through theeoncave portion of the nozzle and between the peripheral edge of the nozzle and the end of the compressionchamber.

The above described method of introducing the fluid into the can is means by which the inner walls of said can come in contact with the full force of the streams and special attention is directed to the tangentially applied streams which tend to wash the side walls with greater force, carrying the sediment in one direction until removed.

While I have shown a concave nozzle'strum ture, I do not confine the said nozzle to the shape herein disclosed alone; and furthermore I have shown a can being washed, having practically straight sides longitudinally. This may also be modified, as other shapes,

- ing an open upper end, a h

Such modifications may be em loyed as lie within the scope of the appended claims. I claim: g 1. In acan washin apparatus, in combination with a motor and a pump, a'compression chamber connected with said Rump, and hav- 0 low aperturedstem axially trunnioned in said chamber, a slotted-nozzle mounted on the upper end of the stem and carried thereby, the lower edge of the nozzle being spaced from the end of said chamber whereby an annular fluid exit is provided, and drive means to rotate the stem from the motor.

2. In a'can washing. apparatus, in combination with a motor, a pump anda tank, acompression chamber having an open upper end positioned in the tank and pipe connecting means from the pump to the tank and said chamber soflthat a circulation of .the fluid in the tank will-pass through said chamber,v a" hollow apertured stem rotatably and axially positioned in'said chamber,a slotted and aper tured concave member mounted on the u per end of the steam and rotatable .therewit as distributing means for the fluid while washing a can, means to dispense the fluid from the stem and. betweenthe nozzleand the. ad-

3. In a can wash ng apparatus, in combi nation with a motor, a centrifugal pump and *jacent end-of said chamber simultaneously, and drive means to rotate the stem simula fluid tank, a compression chamberfha'ving" an open upper end vertically positioned'in the tank and a pipe connecting said chamber to the pump, and a second pipe connecting the I tank to said pump as circulating means for the fluid'through the compression chamber,

a hollow stem having a plurality of perforations through'the wall thereof as communicating means from the chamber into the hollow of said stem, the stem being axially positioned in said chamber and having means to rotate the same, a nozzle rigidly attached to the upper'end of the stem sothe peripheral rim thereof is s aced a short distance from the end of said 0 amber, whereby an annular exit for the fluid is provided, said nozzle having tangentially positioned slots through the wall thereof and apertures intermediately positioned to the slots,said stem having anaxially positioned aperture, all functioning as distriution means for the fluid on the in terior of a can as washing means therefor,

drive means to rotate the stem, and means to reduce the speed between the motor and the rotating element of the stem.

4. In a can washin apparatus, a com ression chamber of the k1nd described, the 0 amber having'an open upper end, an axially po sitioned rotatable hollow stem having apertures spaced longitudinally therein and an axially positioned aperture in the upper end, all as dispensing means for the fluid from the compression chamber, a concave member concentrically mounted on the upper end of the stem and rotatable therewith, the said member having a plurality of elongated tangentially positioned slots therethrough and a plurality of apertures alternately positioned to the slots, the tangentiallv positioned slots opening toward the direction of the rotation of the said concave member.

SOREN K. JENSEN. 

